Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• In Room 58 is...
Botticelli—
Venus and Mars
(c. 1485)
Mars takes a break from war, succumbing to the delights of love (Venus), while impish
satyrs play innocently with the discarded tools of death. In the early spring of the Renais-
sance, there was an optimistic mood in the air—the feeling that enlightened Man could
solve all problems, narrowing the gap between mortals and the Greek gods. Artists felt
free to use the pagan Greek gods as symbols of human traits, virtues, and vices. Venus has
sapped man's medieval stiffness; the Renaissance has arrived.
